The country has been named the Best Culinary Destination in the Bucket List Places in Asia in 2023 published by US magazine Travel Leisure.

According to the magazine, if there’s one cultural cuisine that bursts with umami goodness, it’s Vietnamese cuisine. The country, apart from its beautiful landscapes, is known for its food.

“Everywhere you go, you’ll be met with local, regional delicacies that will bowl you over, as you soak in new, exciting experiences and visit stunning destinations,” the magazine said.

It also recommends best places to explore in Vietnam are Hanoi, Da Nang, Ho Chi Minh City. Must-try food include pho, banh mi, banh cuon (rice rolls) and coffee, and the best time to visit the country is from November to March when the weather is the most comfortable, not too hot, not too cold and there are no pouring rain or stormy days.

An article on Australia’s tourism website traveler.com.au also said pho is surely Vietnam's greatest culinary gift to the world.

 

People can argue long into the night about the world's best soup. Maybe it's ramen, laksa, bouillabaisse or caldo verde or even Moroccan bessara. What people can't argue, however, is that Vietnam's most famous soup, the pho, is in the conversation.

It affirmed pho is a fragrant, subtly powerful dish that's even greater than the sum of its considerable parts. Its broth is a gently simmered stock of beef bones with onion, ginger and spices; it arrives pooled around banh pho, or flat rice noodles, and rare beef slices, topped with bean sprouts, fresh herbs, lemon and chilli. The aroma is transcendent. The taste is perfection.

Destinations in Vietnam have also been highly valued, such as Ho Chi Minh City as the trendiest Asian destination this year by US-based travel website Travel Off Path, Son Doong cave among the list of the 10 greatest natural caves in the world by travel website Wonderlist, Con Dao island as one of 16 best destinations for summer getaways by Condé Nast Traveler, and Hoi An among the 25 most beautiful cities in the world by Travel Leisure, among others.

The agency reported that Vietnamese tourism industry served 13 million domestic tourists in January, and earned some 46 trillion VND (1.96 billion USD).

During the seven-day Lunar New Year (Tet) holiday that lasted from January 20-26, the country was estimated to serve 9 million domestic visitors, an increase of about 47.5% compared to the 2022 Tet, with an estimated revenue of 17.5 trillion VND.

The local tourism sector targets 110 million tourists this year, including 8 million foreign visitors, and earn some 650 trillion VND from the non-smoke industry.

In 2022, Vietnam recorded around 101.3 million domestic tourists, exceeding the yearly plan by 68.3% . The tourism sector booked some 495 trillion VND (21.1 billion USD) in revenue, 23% higher than the target, thanks to the whopping number of domestic tourists./. VNA